Test tube for body liquids

ABSTRACT

A little test tube is used to receive body liquids in an automated analyzer. The tube has a portion receiving the liquid, a supporting portion and a further portion carrying coded data for identification of the liquid being tested. The invention is particularly characterized in that the shell of the tube extends axially beyond the part receiving the liquid for receiving stamped coded data.

United States Patent [191 Zauft Aug. 28, 1973 TEST TUBE FOR BODY LIQUIDS3,504.376 3/1970 Bednar et al. 23/292 3,532,470 10 1970 R ht [75]Inventor: Karl-Heinz Zauit, Erlangem 31540 858 $1970 83 at a]. u Germany3.565.582 2/1971 Young Assigneez Siemens 3,589,867 6/1971 Hellll 18]23/253 Erlangen, Germany Primary Examiner-Morris O. Wolk [22] Filed 1971Assistant Examiner-R. E. Serwin [21] App]. No.; 125,713 Arromey-Richards8r. Geier [52] U.S. Cl 23/292, 23/253 R, 23/259 [57] ABSTRACT [51] Int.Cl. 6011! 1/10 58 Field of Search 23/292, 253, 259; f i fi g 235/151.151.13 omae anayzer. e e asaporionreceivmg e liquid, a supportmg portionand a further portion carrying coded data for identification of theliquid being [56] References cued tested. The invention is particularlycharacterized in UNITED STATES PATENTS that the shell of the tubeextends axially beyond the 3,266,298 8/1966 Whitehead et al 23/292 UXpart receiving the liquid for receiving stamped coded 3,350,946 11/1967lsreeli 23/253 data 3,476,5l5 11/1969 Johnson et al 23/253 3,497,3202/1970 Blackburn et al. 23/292 X 5 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures L i wi lj/n i l l l l i l I'M/2 I K I 1 2 3 l p 713 I 4 4 PATENTED AUE 2 8 I975L, 1 IHHJN.

INVENTOR' Kev/Heinz ZCLL/l Wa -3w TEST TUBE FOR BODY LIQUIDS Thisinvention relates to a test tube for body liquids and refers moreparticularly to a small test tube receiving body liquids for use in anautomated analyzer and having a part receiving the liquid, a supportingpart and a further part for providing coded data for the identificationof the liquid being tested.

Automated analyzers are now used to an increasing extent for the purposeof raising laboratorium capacity and at the same time rationalizing theoperation of the laboratory. These automatic analyzers are operated byan electronic computer according to a predetermined program. In order tosurely avoid errors in coordinating the test and the patient despite alarge number of taken tests it is particularly important to provideidentification data which cannot be lost upon the test tubes.

It is known in the art to provide each tube with its own label. Thisrequires additional manual operation by the laboratory workers andfurthermore, has the drawback that the label can be easily lost, forexample, during the centrifuging of the tests. To avoid this drawback atest tube has already been provided wherein a part of the upper edge ofthe tube is shaped as a fan extending above the edge and at right anglesto the central axis of the tube to be inscribed with coded information.To provide rational operation this tube is made of one piece with thefan from a sprayed plastic part. However, when this tube was used theoutwardly extending outstanding fan was found to be unsatisfactory.Furthermore it is not easy to always bring the fan into the correctposition for obtaining the information.

An object of the present invention is to eliminate the drawbacks ofprior art devices; I

Another object is the provision of a compact small tube for receiving aliquid being tested and the data belonging to the test, wherein simplemeans make possible a precise coordination of the data with a readingdevice.

Other objects of the present invention will become apparent in thecourse of the following specification.

In the accomplishment of the objective of the present invention it wasfound desirable to extend the shell of the tube axially beyond the partreceiving the liquid for receiving coded data which can be stampedthereon.

The invention will appear more clearly from the following detaileddescription when taken in connection with the accompanying drawingshowing by way of example only, a preferred embodiment of the inventiveidea.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a side view partly in section of a test tube of the presentinvention connected with corresponding parts of an automated analyzer.

FIG. 2 is a top viewof the test tube shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3is a bottom view of the test tube.

FIG. 1 shows a small test tube 1 used for transmitting body liquids inan automated analyzer and consisting of three parts, namely a'part 11receiving the liquid and having a funnel-like converging portion at itslower end, a bead 3 at the upper edge of the tube serving as a holdingmember for hanging the tube on a transporting mechanism, as well as aninformation providing portion 4 constituting an extension of the shellof the tube 1 in the axial direction beyond the part 11 of the tubewhich receives the liquid. The part 4 is used for receiving coded datawhich can be read by a machine To indicate the cooperation of a testtube of the present invention with a reading stage of an automatedanalyzer, one of such reading stages is illustrated diagrammatically inFIG. I. It includes a key reading device 6 and a step motor 7 used toturn stepwise a gear wheel 8 meshing with a toothed rim 9 provided uponthe outer side of the bead 3, so that the tube is rotated axially. Themotor 7 is actuated by a steering device 10. The reading device 6transmits an impulse to the steering device 10 after it has completedthe reading of the combination of holes directed toward it. Thereupon,the steering device 10 causes the motor 7 to provide the turning of thetube to the extent required by the reading of the following holecombination. This procedure is repeated until all the coded datadistributed over the peripher of the tube portion 4 have been read.

. The evaluation of the read data is carried out in the known manner byan electronic data treating device 12.

As indicated in FIG. 1 the surface of the tube 1 lo- .cated directlyabove the part 4 used for receiving the data can be provided with cleartextual information associated with the data.

The top view of the tube 1 shown in FIG. 2 indicates that the clear textinformation corresponding to the code can be also provided upon theupper surface of the bead 3. Such an association with the correspondinggroups of openings will be particularly clear for supervision when thenumber of teeth of the toothed rim 9 is equal to the number of groups ofopenings.

FIG. 3 shows in combination with FIG. 1 that the outer surfaceof thepart 4 used for receiving the data has an angular cross-section (forexample ten-angular), so that there is a number of flat surfaces 13 (forexample ten) for impressing groups of openings 5.

I claim:

1. A test tube for body liquids -for use with an automated analyzer,said tube having an inner partition dividing it into first and secondchambers, the first chamber being adapted to receive the body liquid,the second chamber having coded data impressed upon its wall around thelongitudinal axis of the tube, an automatic reading device for readingsaid coded data to identify the body liquid, a tube support comprising abead carried upon the upper end of the first chamber, and means engagingsaid bead for rotating the tube about its longitudinal axis to read thecoded data.

2. A test tube in accordance with claim 1, wherein the outer surface ofthe first chamber located directly above the second chamber is providedwith clear text inscriptions corresponding to the coded data.

3. A test tube ;in accordance with claim 2, wherein the upper surface ofsaid bead is provided with said clear text inscriptions corresponding tothe coded data.

4. A test tube in accordance with claim 1, wherein said wall of saidsecond chamber has an angular crosssection providing a plurality of flatouter surfaces for the impression of groups of holes constituting saidcoded data.

5. A test tube in accordance with claim 1, wherein said bead consists ofa toothed rim located upon its outer surface.

l 4' i t i

2. A test tube in accordance with claim 1, wherein the outer surface ofthe first chamber located directly above the second chamber is providedwith clear text inscriptions corresponding to the coded data.
 3. A testtube ;in accordance with claim 2, wherein the upper surface of said beadis provided with said clear text inscriptions corresponding to the codeddata.
 4. A test tube in accordance with claim 1, wherein said wall ofsaid second chamber has an angular cross-section providing a pluralityof flat outer surfaces for the impression of groups of holesconstituting said coded data.
 5. A test tube in accordance with claim 1,wherein said bead consists of a toothed rim located upon its outersurface.